Illinois tips Iowa 66-63 on Jon Ekey 3-pointer

No. 24 Hawkeyes tie it late but Illini able to run down clock until draining upset winner with .3 seconds left

March 08, 2014|By Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune reporter

Guard Tracy Abrams (13) of the Illinois Fighting Illini goes to the basket during the first half against Iowa on March 8, 2014 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Matthew Holst / Getty Images)

IOWA CITY, Iowa — At this point, Illinois coach John Groce said he really shouldn't be surprised.

After all, this is the team that came up for air after being submerged in an eight-game losing streak. The same Illini, he said, who never buried their heads during that slump or fretted after Michigan drubbed them by 31 points Tuesday night.

So when he saw host Iowa charge back from a 14-point deficit, he knew his players would respond.

"I shouldn't be surprised. When adversity hits, they've responded," he said. "I thought we played with a lot of heart. … I'm really proud of the resiliency they have had and that it's becoming a part of our DNA."

Their identity was clear Saturday night in a 66-63 victory over No. 24 Iowa in their regular-season finale.

Tracy Abrams found Jon Ekey for the game-winner with 0.3 seconds left as the forward drained a far-from-open 3-pointer. Iowa had tied the game on Gabriel Olaseni's layup with 40 seconds left.

Illinois ended the regular season having won three straight on the road as it heads into the Big Ten tournament Thursday as a No. 7, 8 or 9 seed, depending on the outcome of Sunday's conference games.

The Illini also ended Iowa's streak of 30 straight victories against unranked opponents at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes (20-11, 9-9 Big Ten) have lost five of their last six games.

Illinois (18-13, 7-11) held Iowa, which was averaging 83.3 points per game, to a season low.

While the end of the game provided some drama, it was the start of the game that set the tone.

Illinois built a 20-6 lead thanks to seven points from Nnanna Egwu. When Egwu headed to the bench with two fouls, the Hawkeyes used a 17-1 run to head into halftime with a 34-29 lead.

"It was really hard from that point forward," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "Yeah, we got the lead a couple of times, but it just changes everything."